T
he limited release likely didn't help it, I imagine. Plus, World War Z is much more well known to the general public as a book first. But yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it.
Nope. I disagree. I believe limited release has nothing to do with it (or is at least influenced by what I'm about to say). The general public is genuinely stupid, and corporate popcorn flicks sell more than art films ergo most "good" films are often limited release.
For example, there's been this ongoing debate about why Adam Sandler keeps pumping out stupid movies despite actually having shown a degree of quality acting range. Spanglish (while not Gone with the Wind) is considered a respectable drama: $55,041,367 worldwide revenue. Grown Ups is pretty dumbed down with a shallow plot and one dimensional characters (it's fun don't get me wrong): $271,430,189 worldwide.
People don't want to see insightful films that make them question the value of their lives; see triumphs or failures of the human spirit, or think about what it means to be human/explore art/ peer into various genre. They want sex, low-brow toilet humor, and violence. And, yes, I realize some low-brow stuff is great too, but I really wish that a serious source material that actually does attempt to make literary insight into societal structure etc. would be adapted as such to the big screen. Unfortunately, studio execs translate movie earnings like Grown Ups into movie adaptations like World War Z.